Over 60 Ventura College art students received recognition in the form of several thousand dollars worth of scholarships and awards last
Thursday evening.
The awards were given out to students who had submitted work into the
Annual Student Awards Exhibition and chosen by a panel of judges. Art
Department Chair Bob Moskowitz emceed the event and along with a few
professors handed out many of the awards.
“(The exhibition) is a culmination of a full year of hard work and it
represents a lot of the best of what we do for years and years,” said
Moskowitz.
A total of $6500 worth of scholarships were given before the opening
of the Annual Student Awards Exhibition in the New Media Gallery and
Gallery 2. Any VC student that had taken an art class within the last
two semesters was allowed to enter artwork. A panel of professionals
went through all the entries and selected what would go in the show
and awarded scholarships.
The funds for the scholarships came from artwork that was donated by
local artists and VC professors and auctioned at the 2009 Art Auction
held on campus a few weeks prior.
Honorable mentions, awards of merit and awards of excellence were
given out to students in twenty-one different categories along with
several memorial and other special awards.
Linda Marie Monier received the Barney Dietz Best in Show for her
mixed media self-portrait. Monier found inspiration to create the
self-portrait during a summer class at Ventura College.
“It wouldn’t exist if I wasn’t taking classes here,” said Monier. “I
normally paint really clean, pretty things so I thought people
wouldn’t like the artwork. It’s very emotional.”
Among the usual awards that were handed out, a brand new Future Award
was introduced in the photography category, and awarded to Margaret
Donahue based on a submitted portfolio and essay. The award was setup
up by VC and Art Center College of Design alumni Scott Council to
assist a student with a future in photography.
“It’s exactly what I wanted and it makes me feel like I’m right on
track,” said Donahue.
The Annual Student Awards Exhibition will be in the New Media Gallery
and Gallery 2 until May 7 which are open from noon to 4 p.m.
